By Toria Bodden

I vaguely remember a “clubs” fair at the beginning of every semester, where you walked around, looked at different booths, signed up for a couple, and boom, you were involved in student organizations… more or less.

The Student Life and Leadership office has taken it to a whole new level, working with student organizations and various campus groups to provide two academic weeks’ worth of welcome, appropriately titled “Weeks of Welcome 2010.”

Running Monday, August 30^th through Friday, September 10^th, events include everything from a casino night to morning coffees. Here are a few ways to make the most of the events available.

–          There really is a place to ask a nice, friendly person for directions. In general, if you’re ever lost on campus, you can ask any of the staff to point you in the right direction. But Monday, August 30^th through Wednesday, September 1^st, you can stop by the Cougar Question Mart from 8am to 5pm to ask for directions to classes, the food court, and to get more information on ‘Weeks of Welcome.’

–          It’s unbelievably easy to join a club. On Tuesday, August 31^st, the Student Organization Fair is going on in the Library Plaza from 11am to 1pm. You’ll hear about various clubs and their events right here in the Features section of the Pride during the school year, but this is a chance to get involved. Reading this article after August 31^st? The Tukwut Leadership Circle’s Open House on September 8^th (11am to 2pm, Craven 3400) is another place to hear all about leadership opportunities and student organization information.

–          There are a lot of people who want to support you. We’re a diverse campus and we’re very proud of it. It’s one of the most important parts of what makes CSUSM an amazing place to go to school. During ‘Weeks of Welcome,’ you can attend various offices’ open houses: the ASI (Associated Students, Inc.) LGBTQ Pride Center (September 7^th, 8am to 5pm, Commons 201); the SLL Cross Cultural Center (September 8^th, 11am to 2pm, Commons 207); the ASI Women’s Center Open House (September 9^th, 11am to 3pm, Foundation Classroom Bldg. 5-102); and the Veterans Center Open House (September 9^th, 10am to 3pm, Craven 3^rd Floor). There are also several student organizations devoted to celebrating our diversity.

–          We’re big fans of fun. ‘Weeks of Welcome’ includes free events ranging from casino night previously mentioned (September 2^nd), to a pep rally on September 7^th, to a free movie night at the local Edwards Theatres on September 7^th as well, and various other fun-for-the-sake-of-fun events. The two-week welcome fest ends with a chance for students to attend a San Diego Padres Game on September 10^th (tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the ASI Office).

Stop by the Cougar Question Mart until September 1^st, or the Student Life and Leadership office after September 1^st to get your full schedule of ‘Weeks of Welcome’ events, or visit http://www.csusm.edu/sll/onsp/WOW2010.html. Events I didn’t get a chance to mention include things like a study abroad information session (September 7^th), and a session on getting a part time job (September 2^nd), just to name a few.